Touch-sensitive displays, or “touch screens,” are increasingly used by many electronic devices, particularly portable computing devices. Touch-sensitive displays are commonly used to display graphics, text and/or video and also to allow user interaction with an electronic device. A touch-sensitive display detects and responds to contact with a region of the display. For example, a touch-sensitive display may be used to display one or more soft keys, menus or other items in different regions, and a user contacts the touch-sensitive display at a specific region to interact with a particular soft key, menu or other item.
Increasingly, touch-sensitive displays are used by portable computing devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers or personal digital assistants. However, this may result in unintentional activation or deactivation of applications or device functionality because of unintentional contact with regions of the touch-sensitive display. To avoid unintentional activation or deactivation because of unintentional contact with the touch-sensitive display, one or more lock conditions may be used to place the touch-sensitive display and/or one or more applications executed by a portable computing device in a locked state. While in a locked state, contact with the touch-sensitive display does not initiate execution of an application or functionality.
Conventionally, a touch-sensitive display transitions from a locked state to an unlocked state by accessing a set of regions of the touch-sensitive display in a pattern or contacting the touch-sensitive display along a predetermined path. However, creating and subsequently recalling the set of regions or predetermined path to access may inconvenience a device's user. This may impair a user's ability to quickly unlock a device.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the Figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the Figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing the specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.